Will AI Ever Trade A City For Peace?

[John-SJ]

And if the answer is no, why have the option?

I was in a war with Japan which I was winning quite decisively. Every engagement I entered in his territory was an overwhelming victory for me. After reducing him from 7 cities to 2 he came begging for peace. I said sure, the price is your smaller city (not his capital). He seemed to think I was joking and refused, even though I had enough units in his territory to wipe out his capital 5 times over.

He began to suspect I was not joking the next turn when I took his capital. His suspicions were confirmed the turn after when I took his last city.

So, the question is, are there conditions under which I can get the enemy to cough up a city in return for peace?

[PapaMonkey]

I believe a civ will only trade gold or tech for peace. In the pedia, under diplomacy I think it says this.

[Artuero]

It'd be good to figure out when the AI would trade a city. One situation I had was where Washington was certainly going to lose Boston to my culture, but he was going to get Edo or something that my Indian empire had captured from the Japanese. Would have been nice to swap them before they both went down to 2 pop since they didn't have any tiles to work, but no go.

[Fosse]

In an MP game I had AI Montezuma attack me several times... and he ALWAYS demanded Baghdad for peace for several turns.

I would have to fight off wave after wave of troops, then talk to him... "Baghdad." Then wave after wave, and he'd finally settle for techs.

Then it'd happen again when the peace treaty expired....
The point being that the AI certainly knows how to use the feature, even if it seldom gives up its own.

I recall someone on these forums posting that the AI sold them (or gifted) them a city that was clearly going to flip soon. It had been culture bombed into one square, so it was losing money on maintenance every turn.

[djpsychonaut]

I've never known the AI to ever give up a city under any circumstances in Civ 4. It was the same way in Civ 3.

[Quillan]

Back in Civ 3 I got the AI to give up cities a lot of times. However, it usually only happened when I was almost to the point of wiping them out of existance, or else when they had a size 1-2 city that was pretty worthless and had just annihilated their entire field army. In this one, even when I've got an AI down to 2 cities left and there's no doubt at all they'll be gone within 3 turns, they won't give up one of those 2 cities for a peace treaty.

[Velociryx]

I've had no success in my warmongering strats so far in getting a city for peace...in fact, I've discovered that the Germans (not sure if this is particular to them or no, but it's the first I've encountered it), are reluctant to even trade TECH for peace.

Had Bismark down to one wounded archer in his last city, and demanded all his tech.

He said no, so I aced him.

Very odd...stubborn, and fitting for Germany, but...odd. Even faced with certain death...no tech trades??

-=Vel=-

[Blake]

I think they might give you your cities back, but wont in any event give you their own cities.

I've also found AI's are extremely reluctant to give you ANYTHING for peace, they don't want to help whoever is beating on them get ahead. Their spite is stronger than their sense of self-preservation and they'll only give you token tribute - stuff you could easily trade for anyway. Their tolerance for bullying is generally low.

I think they might be slightly more inclined to give you stuff to avoid war, but it's difficult because usually whatever you want to bully out of them is red.

It'd be nice to have some more options to raise the stakes, like to make it clear that either they give you what you want, or you WILL declare war on them. Diplomacy way lacks extortion on the human side of things.

[The diplomat]

Although, the AI is not shy about demanding a city for peace from the human player. In several games, I have had the AI demand one of my cities in exchange for peace. In one game, Montezuma wanted my capital in exchange of a 10 year peace treaty. Needless to say, I laughed at his request.

[teaster]

I was able to get a city from the AI for peace in one of my early games working my way up the difficulty tree. They approached me for peace and I decided to ask for the last city on their list and voila! It was mine. I think it was on Noble but I can't remember for certain. I do remember the city though, a beautiful jewel out on the tundra surrounded by ice ... it did have a fish.

[Enigma_Nova]

Hurrah for the fish! =D

[Nik]

I did get a city from the AI. On noble, and from a peace treaty. From the Chinese on another continent only inhabited by small colonize from the main continent + barbarians. I was to lazy to begin colonizing the continent my self, 'cause I found my self battling other civs all the time, and my warmachine didnt allow such luxuries (4 fronts, imaging that!)